Join Our Team as a Healthcare Navigator at Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust!
Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of others? Do you have skills for providing guidance and support in healthcare settings? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you!
As part of the Kent Prison Healthcare contract awarded to Oxleas NHS trust in 2022, we are able to expand recruitment and are looking for a compassionate, knowledgeable and motivated Healthcare Navigator to join our friendly team at HMP Swaleside.
Our healthcare team have a real impact on promoting health and well-being to those in prison and we pride ourselves on using skills and strategies that instil hope for patients future resettlement back into the community. We directly deliver Mental Health, Physical Health, Pharmacy and Clinical Substance Misuse in an integrated healthcare delivery model to provide effective and responsive care to improve wellbeing and support better outcomes in the future.
As part of our primary care team, you will enjoy all the benefits of NHS AfC employment (inc pension) with the opportunity to work within a forward-thinking service, who encourage career and personal development to all staff to increase their clinical and interpersonal skills.
Responsibilities
* Providing reassurance, guidance, and signposting to health and social care services to minimize distress and risk.
* Acting as a bridge between HMPSS and healthcare providers to improve joint care.
* Offering a visible presence in the First Night Centre/Induction Wing.
* Addressing vulnerabilities associated with early days in custody, including reducing self-harm.
* Supporting access to healthcare and social care services, especially for people from diverse backgrounds or with specific needs.
* Improving partnership working between services, particularly social care and Safer Custody teams.
* Assisting with improving patient choice regarding healthcare interventions and promoting Health Champions.
Qualifications and Skills
* To have excellent IT skills, to include Microsoft Office, Outlook and Excel.
* To undertake general office duties to support the role.
* Provide coordination of and participate in relevant internal and external working groups and provide project advice, expertise and support where requested.
Communication
* To maintain close working partnerships with all services that may be involved with the care and management of offenders, (prison staff, Ministry of Justice, Trust & Directorate senior managers & relevant forums, CMHT staff, NHS Hospitals, Probation Services, CPS, Courts, GP's, community health services, Housing/Benefit services, social care, community multi agency forums etc.).
* To communicate clearly and professionally in a way in which patients will be able to understand and feel supported.
* To record patient interventions on relevant electronic database systems (e.g. SystmOne and Prison Systems) and contribute to report generation, analysis and production.
* Use clinical systems for record keeping, audit and evaluation.
* Develop and implement data collection systems that will provide accurate and timely data.
* Maintain confidentiality.
* To use a range of verbal and non-verbal communication tools to communicate effectively with patients, carers and families and colleagues.
* To provide reassurance, guidance and signposting to health and social care services that will contribute to minimising distress and risk.
* Identify learning needs, plan, implement and evaluate programmes of education to meet identified need.
* Establish own support mechanisms to enable structured reflection, including supervision, development of supportive networks mentoring and coaching.
* The post holder should be physically fit for the role with the necessary keyboard and IT skills.
* Required to communicate across the health community and with patients / carers where the nature of the information given may be sensitive and could be disputed.
* The post holder should be empathetic and skilled in listening, persuasion and negotiation, and recognizes care, compassion, competency, communication, and commitment in their role.
Custodial Responsibilities
* Assume personal responsibility for the security of issued keys.
* Understand and comply with prison orders, procedures, and instructions in your area of work.
* Comply with all security requirements.
* Respond to any situation or circumstance that might indicate a threat to security of the establishment or to the safety of an individual, completing Incident, Security, Injury, or other reports as appropriate.
* Report breaches of order and discipline including reporting and recording untoward incidents according to local protocol.
* Contribute to effective risk assessment and management procedures.
This advert closes on Thursday 30 Apr 2026.
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